Jack support extender

ABSTRACT

A device to extend an auto jack support either laterally of the jack or longitudinally away from the jack. The device uses circular tubing to fit square mounting holes so that rotating movement is possible and includes supporting braces to provide added strength.

United States Patent Voss Dec. 10, 1974 JACK SUPPORT EXTENDER 3,302,927 2/1967 Gray 254/2 B [76] Inventor: Francis D. Voss, PO. Box 212,

Emerson N 68733 Primary ExaminerAl Lawrence Smith [22] Filed; June 28, 1 7 Assistant Examiner-Robert C. Watson 21 App]. No; 374,577

7 [57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl 254/133 R [51] Int. Cl B66f 13/00 A device to extend an auto j support either lamp [581 F'eld -w:- 254/133, 2 B3 403/59, ally of the jack or longitudinally away from the jack. 403/49, 192 The device uses circular tubing to fit square mounting holes so that rotating movement is possible and in- [56] References C'ted cludes supporting braces to provide added strength.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 995,583 6/1911 Willour 254/133 R 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEL DEC 1 (H974 SHEET 10F 2 Fig. 1

PAIENTEBBEBWIQN 3.853.302 sum ear 2 l "W W1 W 1 in i \g I g 4 JACK SUPPORT EXTENDER BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE lNVENTlON This invention pertains to means for extending the usefulness of a lifting jack by making it possible to spread the supports farther apart than the distance allowed by the basic jack or to extend the supports farther away from the upright part of the jack.

Many jacks for lifting cars and light trucks are adapted to lift either from the bumper or the frame or axle of the automobile. Because of the variety of designs of bumpers and of spacing and location of frame members, a maximum of flexibility at the lifting part is required. Many jacks designed and sold previously have not had the necessary flexibility to adapt to all cars and trucks. Such jacks customarily have a lifting bar extending laterally of the car frame with some sort of supports at the ends of the bar. These supports may well be interchangeable so as to provide support which fit various types of bumpers or frames. However, the contact members at the ends of the bar either were not able to be spread wide enough or particularly now that resilient bumpers are required they did not reach far enough under the car to reach the frame properly when the upright part of the jack touched the bumper.

By my invention I provide a simple, inexpensive attachment which is flexible enough to provide infinitely adjustable width within narrow limits and also some extension of the distance from the jack post to the lifting point on the jack.

FIGURES FIG. 1 is a top plan view of my device in place on a jack,

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view to an enlarged scale of my device separate from the jack,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view from line 3-3 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the device similar to FIG. 2, and

FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of the device.

DESCRIPTION Briefly my invention comprises a device adapted to fit into the support receiving sockets at the end of a jack arm and having arms extending therefrom to support a secondary socket forming means to receive the support devices. A bracing web extending from the socket forming means to the original jack arm supports and reinforces the device.

More specifically, and referring too the figures, my device is adapted to be used with a jack having a main support column 10. A lifting cylinder 11 may be either socket into which may be inserted a device adapted to engage the frame on the bumper of the car to be raised. The socket is often square, but may be circular.

My device is adapted to fit into the socket formed by the cup 15. The device includes a tongue 16 adapted to fit into the cup. The tongue is preferably circular in cross section and of a diameter to fit smoothly into the socket formed in the cup. Thus, it will be obvious that the diameter of the tongue is approximately equal to the length of the side of the square socket into which it fits.

A web 17 extends from the tongue 16 to an auxiliary cup 18. This cup 18 is formed with a socket which is of a size to receive the frame engaging devices originally carried by the cup 15. A bracing web 19 extends from the bottom of the cup 18 back toward the tongue 16. This bracing web 19 is adapted to engage the outer surface of the original cup 15 to provide added strength when stress is placed on the auxiliary cup 18. The web 19 is formed with an arcuate concave surface adapted to engage the outer wall of the original cup 15. The arcuate surface has a radius equal to approximately onehalf of the length of a line diagonally between the outer surfaces of the corners of the square cup 15.

In use, my device is inserted with the tongue 16 into the socket of the original cup 15. It can then be adjusted by pivotal motion in that socket so as to extend the device in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arm 14 so that the distance between the support column 10 and the lifting contact (as defined by the socket in the auxiliary cup 18) is extended. Or the device can be extended substantially parallel to the arm 14 in which case, the spacing between the lifting contacts is increased. Or some intermediate position may be used. I

Whatever type of support devices used with the original jack may be inserted into the socket in the auxiliary cup 18 to provide for carrying the pressure of the load on the jack. Much of the strain of the load will be borne by the web 17, but as the strain increases, the bracing web 19 will press against the outer surface of the cup 15 to provide added support and strength so that the web 17 is not permanently bent or deformed.

In order to provide for stability of the jack when the cup 18 is extended in a direction away from the support column 11, it may be necessary to use an extended leg means. This can readily be done by providing a truncated triangular member 20 adapted to fit over and be attached to the base 21 of the original jack.

Thus I provide a flexibly positioned and strong extension for the arms of the jack.

I claim:

1. In combination a jackhaving a load engaging arm and a device for extending the arm of said jack, said arm having original cup means forming sockets at the extremities thereof, said device comprising tongue means adapted to be placed in said sockets, said socket is of square cross section and said tongue is of circular cross section having a diameter such that said tongue fits smoothly into said socket and is pivotally engaged therein, said device further comprisingauxiliary cup means spaced apart from said tongue means, and support means for said cup means including upper web means attached rigidly to both said auxiliary cup means and said tongue means and bracing web means extending from said auxiliary cup means toward said tongue means but terminating in spaced relation thereto such vide a contact face with said cup means said contact face having an arcuate form having a radius equal to one-half the distance between the outer walls of said square tube measured on a diagonal of the square. 

1. In combination a jack having a load engaging arm and a device for extending the arm of said jack, said arm having original cup means forming sockets at the extremities thereof, said device comprising tongue means adapted to be placed in said sockets, said socket is of square cross section and said tongue is of circular cross section having a diameter such that said tongue fits smoothly into said socket and is pivotally engaged therein, said device further comprising auxiliary cup means spaced apart from said tongue means, and support means for said cup means including upper web means attached rigidly to both said auxiliary cup means and said tongue means and bracing web means extending from said auxiliary cup means toward said tongue means but terminating in spaced relation thereto such that such bracing web means is adapted to engage said original cup means when said tongue means is placed into said original cup means.
 2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 in which the original cup means is in the form of a square tube and in which the bracing web means is formed to provide a contact face with said cup means said contact face having an arcuate form having a radius equal to one-half the distance between the outer walls of said square tube measured on a diagonal of the square. 